Sweet Nothings
by angie1379
Summary: Post-ep for The Time of Our Lives. Castle and Beckett's wedding night. Fluff and romance ensue, with some heartfelt conversation. Four chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The soft pinks and blues that had painted the sky only an hour earlier darkened to a rich indigo, much to Kate's chagrin. It was further proof that time stops for nothing, even the most charmed and perfect of days. This night would end and tomorrow will dawn anew, bringing with it the start of her new life with her husband and family. She smiled widely at the thought, even as she fought to preserve the present as long as possible, breathing in each second, noting the passing of every minute and determined to hold on to each one.

She watched as the limo glided down the driveway, carrying their three guests and the officiant to their respective hotel rooms in town and leaving the newlyweds to a night alone in the enormous house in the Hamptons. With their departure, Kate knew another phase of the night was about to begin. They were alone, she and Castle, for the first time as husband and wife. She shivered with irrepressible glee at what was undoubtedly to come, even as she reflected back on the evening.

To Kate's categorical mind, Phase One had been their preparations and arrival. It was amazing what one could accomplish in a matter of hours with resources aplenty.

Her nuptial ensemble was procured spontaneously at a favorite Upper Eastside boutique that never failed to have something spectacularly original on hand. The outfit – for it surely wasn't a wedding gown – was certainly non-traditional, but was also so perfect. Kate had fallen in love with the feminine lace and flowing fabric, and found herself much preferring the simple lines and modern cut to the reams of excessive, heavy fabric in the couture dresses she thought she had wanted.

A local stylist had met her at the house, quickly and effectively gathering her hair into soft, full curls off her neck. She had slipped carefully into the white, silk pants, loving the way they slid over her legs. The top came to her midriff and was adorned with a matching white sash that allowed the merest hint of skin to peak rebelliously, yet tastefully, from underneath. Perhaps it wasn't something she would have worn for the grand affair planned in May, but walking toward her groom, she knew it suited her far better than either of her previous gowns. And Castle sure hadn't complained!

He had taken care of more details than she'd realized, renewing their license, calling the officiant, and getting their family to Long Island, all to allow her an extra sliver of time to indulge in being a bride to what limited extent their plans allowed.

As a result, Phase Two, the ceremony, had been more perfect that she ever could have dreamed. It was hard not to wonder, even for a split second, whether everything had been meant to happen to give them this one, suspended moment of perfection. For the first time in three months, she was able to forgive the universe for the cruel trick it had played on them when it robbed her of her groom and their wedding day. She knew there were people out there responsible for what had happened – and one day they would be found – but tonight, on the tenth of November, 2014, the sharp edge of resentment no longer sliced at her heart. Looking at Castle, seeing his stupefied, wonderful awe as he watched her dad escort her across the lawn, swelled her heart so much there was no room for anything but love and gratitude. This was what their lives had been leading to, and as she stepped onto the dais, she couldn't bring herself to regret one minute of her life – even the hopeless devastation of those two lost months – because every second of every day had finally brought them to this moment. Castle had taught her that, and now she knew how true the words he spoke on that high school dance floor, seemingly eons ago, actually were.

It lasted only minutes and was shared with the people they considered nothing less than extensions of themselves. It was as private a ceremony as could morally be justified. They made their declarations, holding nothing back. They gave voice to a hundred shared moments, a thousand shared glances, and a million shared thoughts. Words too heavy for daily expression found their place and made their stand. They stood on the edge of the world, with the ocean and sky extending forever. Words of confirmation, remembrance, and promise cemented the conviction and solemnity of this deepest commitment. They spoke vows of true love, true minds, and true marriage.

And they meant every word.


	2. Chapter 2

Within seconds of being pronounced husband and wife, Phase Three, as Kate thought of it, had begun as they were wrapped in the loving and laughing embrace of their family. Three people – one percent of their original guest list – had witnessed their wedding, and it was all they needed. Hugs, compliments, and congratulations were exchanged all around. Jim did not mince words when he told Castle, "I have never seen my daughter happier than since she's been with you. Thank you for making her smile."

At the same time, Alexis was very earnestly telling Kate, "No one has ever loved him like you do."

And then Martha was ushering Jim, Alexis, and the officiant off the dais and toward the champagne. "Let us away, friends, and give them some time."

Rick and Kate watched as the champagne was uncorked and flutes were filled, while they stood in the fading light of the setting sun and let it all sink in. Then they danced, swaying contentedly to their song and holding each other close.

There was so much to say, but none of it more important than what had already been said. And so they remained silent, letting the moment envelope them.

Finally, Castle felt at tap on his shoulder, and turned to find Jim looking at him kindly. "May I?"

Though no part of him wanted to let Kate go, Castle could hardly deny a father's request to dance with his daughter at her wedding. A kiss to her cheek, and then he stepped away to take hold of his mother's hand. "Shall we?"

"But of course," she exclaimed, dramatically dropping into a formal curtsy.

And so the traditional dances commenced, thanks to the modern technology of an iPhone. There were no twinkling disco lights, no DJ announcing the bridal party, and no formal cake to cut, bouquet to toss, or speech to give. But none of it mattered. They were married, and their family was happy for them. What else could they possible ask for?

Castle noted the tears in Alexis' eyes when he drew her onto the makeshift dancefloor. "What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked with a voice full of concern.

The young woman shook her head dismissively, wanting to assure him it was nothing serious. "Nothing's wrong, nothing at all. I'm just so happy for you. There were times I didn't know if I'd ever get to see you this happy."

He pulled her into a fierce hug. "I haven't given you much reason to trust my judgment when it comes to relationships," he admitted.

Alexis chuckled through her tears, "No, not really," she admitted, "but I trust you this time, Dad. You two love each other in a way I can't fathom yet. But I hope one day I can."

"Not too soon," he murmured, fully aware he was already on borrowed time when it came to being first in her life.

A few moments later, Martha announced the limo had arrived to take them to town, which was news to Castle.

"You're leaving?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course we are, dear. You and your stunning bride deserve time alone on your wedding night, and the master suite here is far more luxurious than any hotel room. So we'll be roughing it at The Excelsior, in town."

Of course a part of him felt guilty for what he saw as kicking his family from their home, but he was also touched by their consideration. He decided to focus on that, because really, he couldn't bring himself to argue with having Kate all to himself at the house.

"Thank you, Mother."

"Oh, don't thank me too much – I used your credit card to book the rooms," she tossed over her shoulder as she walked toward the house to gather her things.

"Of course she did," he muttered, hearing Kate, Alexis, and Jim chuckling behind him.

And with the departure of their family, the final phase was upon them. When it ended, they would pack their meager things and return to the city and their new life together.

But first, they had their wedding night.

"It was perfect, Castle, everything about the whole night was perfect."

"Even the cheesy gazebo set my mother pilfered from _The Sound of Music_ and had reassembled on our property?"

"Yes, even that. And it wasn't cheesy. Maybe a little campy, but a lot better than having our portraits in gardenias." They smiled at the memory of that closely averted disaster before Kate continued, "Besides, she wanted to be part of the planning, and you gave her the chance to do something special for us. It was sweet. And the view really was spectacular."

"Yes, it was," he agreed, as he looked directly at her.

Once inside the house, they both stood in the foyer and absorbed the silence. The windows were dark, and only a few strategic lights illuminated the expansive first floor. The dim light cast an amber glow to Kate's outfit, drawing Castle's gaze once again to the alluring lace and silk.

"It's so quiet," she whispered.

"We don't get to enjoy much of that," Castle replied with a smile, skimming his hands over her shoulders.

"I'm enjoying it now," she said, turning into him and meeting his lips with her own. "Thank you for making this happen tonight."

"It was time," he said solemnly.

"I think I kept putting it off because I was afraid of disaster striking again. I'm sorry."

He looked into her hazel eyes and saw the pain his disappearance had caused. And he felt it, too.

"You went through hell, Kate. You remember the agony of every day I was gone. There is nothing you need to feel sorry for. Today, I got just a small taste of my life without you, and it's not a life I ever want to live."

"Do you really think you traveled to a parallel dimension?" Her expression indicated she was less than convinced.

But he just shrugged, "Even if it was only a dream, it felt real enough to make me not want to wait another second to marry you."

"I'm glad we didn't wait any longer, either."

With that, she pushed up on tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck as she pressed her mouth to his, holding him tight with no intention of letting go. Then, abruptly, he pulled back and looked down at her quizzically. "Did you ever come to one of my book signings, before we met, I mean?"

Her eyes widened slightly, giving away her surprise at the question. "Yes, once," she admitted very slowly and cautiously. "A few years before, maybe 2005 or so," she confessed. "You signed my copy of _In a Hail of Bullets_."

"My first book," he murmured softly.

"The first one I read," she returned. "How did you know that?"

He didn't answer her, just crushed her to him and swept her in his arms as he made his way toward the master suite.

Adrenaline and champagne coursed through her as he carried her through the house, seeking their bedroom. A fire blazed in the hearth, creating an alluring and stimulating contrast to the cool breeze coming in from the window.

He laid her gently on the bed and followed her down. Keeping their mouths joined, hands tugged at buttons and sashed until piece by piece, their wedding clothes, so casual and elegant, fell away. In the firelight, they found each other all over again.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you remember our first night together?" Her voice was soft as she traced her finger along his collar bone and across his chest.

"With every fiber of my being," he replied equally softly.

"Me, too," she admitted shyly. "I remember waking up next to you, afraid I was dreaming."

He nodded his head. "I couldn't quite bring myself to believe you came back. I was so angry at you, but I couldn't let you go again."

She smiled up at him, and hugged him closer. "It's amazing how everything becomes clear when you think you have nothing to lose. Suddenly, I realized I had everything to lose, and all that mattered was you. Of all the things in my life, I couldn't lose you."

They were wrapped as tight as two bodies could get, holding their love between them. It was as tender a moment as they'd ever shared, but it felt right to reflect on their journey on the eve of starting a new one.

"You'll never lose me, Kate. Not then, and not now. That night was extraordinary for so many reasons, but mostly because nothing in my life has ever felt so incredibly right. I knew I'd never love anyone as much as I love you."

They snuggled together in the silence of the bedroom, both overcome by their confessions, but grateful to give voice to such private thoughts that too often remain silent. By their nature, they rarely said more than was necessary, but tonight, it felt like the normal rules of the universe were on hiatus. Their hearts were open and overflowing.

Finally, Castle spoke up again. "When you think back on the last six years, what memories come to mind first? What do you remember most?"

"Oh gosh," she sighed, "so much. I hate to think of all I've forgotten, because I want to remember it all. But there are so many moments I think back on, some happily, and some, well, not so much."

"Tell me about a happy one, something you don't think I remember." It was an odd request, but she was content to play along.

She was quite for a moment, then offered, "You had my dad's watch fixed, after my apartment blew up. Remember that?"

"Of course I remember that. Why would you think I wouldn't?"

She shook her head slightly before continuing ever so softly. "What you don't know is that after that day, I wore that watch as much as a reminder of you as my father. Every time I looked at it, I thought of you."

All he could manage was a whispered, "Wow." He had no idea. How could he? But he would never forget it now.

"Okay, your turn. Tell me something you remember."

He didn't have to think long. "On the lighter side, you snuck into a bathroom stall to read _Heat Wave_ because you didn't want me to know you were reading it."

She barked a laugh as the memory came back to her. But at least she had the decency to lower her eyes sheepishly. "Guilty," she confessed, "but why do you remember that, of all things, so clearly?"

"Because you didn't want me to know you really wanted to read it, and I didn't want you to know how much I wanted you to read it."

She nodded in agreement, amused by their overactive pride. "We kept baiting each other," she recalled, "because I'd be damned before I fed your ego and admitted how much I enjoy your books."

"How much do you enjoy them?" he asked mischievously.

"Too much to admit to you," she retorted. "Now tell me something else."

He grinned as he laced their fingers together, stroking his thumb over hers.

"I did say 'Kate.'"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"When we were reading Joe the PI's journal during the case at the Pennybaker Club, I did say 'Kate's heart quickened,' not "Fate's.' I wanted it to be us in that story, falling in love and never looking back."

She smiled up at him and made her own confession in return. "I threw the bet."

His brows furrowed. "Bet? What bet? We made a bet about the journal?"

"No, the burlesque case a few years earlier. When you came back from the Hamptons and tried to weasel your way into my case, we made a bet."

"The counterfeiting! Yeah, I figured out what connected the three victims …" His voice faltered at her guilty smile. "No way!" he pre-empted, "You did not figure that out first!"

"I kinda did," she admitted. "I set up some bread crumbs so you'd figure it out and I'd be forced to let you stay."

He started at her. "You didn't want me gone?" he asked sincerely.

She shook her head. "I made the bet out of pride because I was so mad at you, but I missed you, too."

The memories of that time trickled back, foggy and unclear, but her anger, and his confusion over it, stuck out.

"I remember you were mad, but I never knew why. Was it just because I didn't call when I got back in town?"

His memories of that time might have dimmed, but hers were still crystal clear. After all, she had carried a lot of regret for her missed opportunity for a long time after that. Still, it was so long ago, and she supposed he deserved to know. What did it matter now, anyway? They had found their way despite that heartbreaking summer.

She bit her lip, committed now to sharing this particular secret. "I wasn't so much mad as hurt. I broke up with Tom Demming for you."

The silence was deafening. He was stunned. All he could manage was, "What do you mean?"

She looked away, but explained. "I realized couldn't be with him, because I would rather try being with you. You still annoyed me more often than not, but you made me smile, and if I was going to give someone a chance, I wanted it to be you."

He looked at her intently, trying to recreate that time so many years earlier. "I got back together with Gina because I didn't want to be some third wheel in your life. I didn't know."

She reached out to stroke his cheek. "There's no way you could have. I didn't give you any reason to think I was interested. It's not your fault, Castle. It wasn't our time, yet," she concluded philosophically.

"But maybe it could have been," he challenged.

"Maybe. But maybe we needed that extra time to learn more about each other, to strengthen our foundation so we'd have something solid to build on."

He leaned down and kissed her deeply. "If it got us here, then we can't regret a moment of it, can we?"

She brought her lips to his again. "I love you, Castle. It took me a long time to realize it, longer to admit it, but I've loved you for so long."

He looked at her intently, then quirked his lips ruefully and glanced away.

"What?" she asked.

He inhaled sharply, then sighed. "I was going to say I never doubted it, but then I realized I did, and I feel ashamed."

She knew immediately what he was referring to, and shared his shame. The weeks after he'd learned she'd lied about her memory of her shooting at Montgomery's funeral, and his subsequent confession of love, had nearly cost them everything. The wounds had long healed, but the memories were still there.

"Hey, we both messed up, remember? I didn't give you a whole lot to go on back then." She thought back to how she had felt then, barely recognizing the guarded, frightened person she had been. "Remember when you told me that I was too afraid to let myself be happy?"

He shook his head, no. "Well, you did, the night before Montgomery was shot. It ticked me off, but it stuck with me, because you were right. I didn't feel I had a right to be happy, because of my mother. I felt like it was a betrayal of her memory, and I was afraid I'd forget my mission if I ever let myself feel too content."

"Oh, Kate …" His voice was a whisper.

"That's why I lied. I don't think I ever told you that before. Somewhere, deep down, I knew I could be happy with you, truly happy, and I had to learn how to accept that. I wanted it so much, but it terrified me, and I was afraid of giving you false hope. It just made more sense at the time to wait until I could tell you everything."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head, "I'm sorry you never got the chance."

"I just did," she whispered back.

When his body covered hers, she welcomed him without hesitation. This is what she had suspected all those years ago – that her feelings for him, and his for her, would fill the emptiness in her heart. She had yearned for it, even as she feared it. And it had taken her months, years even, to fully embrace it. Now, as his wife, even the flimsiest of barriers was gone. For the first time in her adult life, she trusted, she loved, and she opened herself completely to another person. And through it all, she reveled in the unencumbered joy it brought her.

For Castle, making love with Kate on what was technically his third wedding night, seemed to unleash a cleansing power that wiped away the guilt and shame of his past, leaving him with nothing but unwavering conviction about their future together. Believing this time was different might sound like a cliché to some, but Castle knew in his bones it was true. Kate was the match he'd been waiting for.


	4. Chapter 4

Kate woke up to the press of Castle lips to the nape of her neck and the first rays of dawn peering through the windows.

"Mmm, g'morning." Her voice was hoarse and scratchy from sleep and sex … wonderful, languorous, enduring sex.

"Good morning, my lovely wife." His was thick with arousal as he made a chain of kisses down her spine. "Do you know how much I love saying that?"

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah," he confirmed. "And I love waking up to you in my bed. And I love the way the sun catches the gold highlights in your hair. And I love this dimple by your hip," he said as he pressed his mouth to the spot.

She arched in response and he slid back up her body, kissing and nipping the whole way.

She knew they had to be back in the city in a few hours, but it was still early enough for her to roll over and meet his kiss, drawing him in deeper.

Like the sunrise, they took their time, caressing and kissing, giggling and sighing. They were both playful and solemn, capricious and focused. They were the best of themselves, the partners they were meant to be, finally solemnized in law and love.

It was no easy task to finally climb out of bed and pad to the shower, despite delays for more kissing and teasing. They deserved more time, but knew it couldn't happen just yet. Kate was on call starting at 2 p.m. so they had to be back in the city before then. Not to mention, no one even knew they had gotten married.

"How are we going to tell everyone?" Castle wondered aloud as he ran his hands along her soap-slicked back.

She knew immediately what he was referring to, and felt some guilt creep into the back of her mind. "Good question. Lanie's going to kill me," she predicted.

"Maybe we should have her and the boys over when we get back. Tell them together and have a late lunch to celebrate. Pop some champagne."

Kate nodded in agreement, murmuring "Good idea," as she strategically fell back against him, thus prolonging the shower even more.

When she could speak again, she confirmed breathlessly, "We'll call them on the drive in. Have them get there around noon or so." She paused, considered for a moment, then continued, "You don't think they're going to be upset, do you? Because we didn't invite them?"

Castle thought about it as he tried to dry off, barely holding himself upright, and decided, "Nah, they'll understand."

Though still surround by the glow of their wedding, the practicalities of life began to creep in as the hours ticked by.

Dressed once again in jeans and a maroon sweater, Kate retrieved her wedding ensemble from the floor, smoothed out the wrinkles, and folded it carefully into her carry-on. She collected the make-up and accessories she'd brought along and stowed them away before regretfully placing Martha's exquisite sapphire earrings into their case.

"They looked stunning on you," Castle said from behind her.

"They'd look stunning on anyone," she demurred.

He shook his head. "Nope. They need someone worthy to bring out their full beauty."

She turned and flung herself into him. "I don't want to leave, Rick. I want this to last forever."

He tilted her chin so that she could meet his eyes. "No you don't, Kate. Just think of all the wonderful adventures that await us. Think of all the nights together in our home, vacations around the world, the holidays still to come. Maybe children," he added in a whisper.

She wrapped her arms around him again and held him tight. He was right. They had so much ahead of them, so many tender moments and lovestruck memories to share together. They might not get another wedding night, but they had anniversaries and birthdays to share, romantic getaways and surprise interludes to savor. They would hold each other tight and make love again like it was the first time. They were only just beginning to be them, and they had a lot to look forward to.

With a last squeeze and a heartfelt press of her lips to his, she took his hand and said truly, "You're so very right, and that's one of the many, many reasons I love you so much. Lets' go home, Castle."

"I love you too, Kate," he professed back, his eyes twinkling in the boyish way that had stopped her heart from the first, as he kissed her lips and ushered her out the door to whatever awaited them.

The end.


End file.
